Correction: This post has been edited to reflect developments in the story, which originally reported a quote by former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Kendall Lamm that he has since refuted. Heavy Sports regrets the error.
The Miami Dolphins were catching strays left and right about a purported culture problem when it appeared a former Dolphin continued to pile on.
But a fake quote attributed to offensive tackle Kendall Lamm, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles, has since been denied by Lamm in an Instagram Stories posted on June 23.
“I have no animosity or no ill will or bad intentions towards Miami,” Lamm said in the video, which was tweeted June 24 by the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly, who captioned his tweet: “This is why finding credible people you trust for information is so important.”
Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post tweeted on June 23 that numerous outlets reported the quote that Lamm has since refuted. Heavy Sports published the quote on June 22.
“At least 8 web sites aggregated a comment allegedly made by former Dolphins OT Kendall Lamm about Miami’s culture, all attributed to an alleged ESPN interview,” Schad wrote. “But there is no known link to an ESPN article or interview. And Lamm has now suggested on Instagram that he keeps getting sent the articles but does not recall making such comments.”
Kyle Crabb, host of “Locked on Dolphins,” tweeted on June 24 that a site “called fanhub.cafex . biz” originated the quote. He shared a screenshot of what appears to be the site’s home page.
“The origination of this Kendall Lamm ‘quote’ is from something called fanhub.cafex . biz, which also currently has stories up about how Breece Hall was traded to the Chiefs, Mike Hilton signing with the Packers, Larry Ogunjobi stating that “every player wants out of that mess” RE: Pittsburgh,” Crabb wrote. “So, yeah. If you for some reason felt that this would be a good place to get some news, now you know.”
Is Miami’s Culture Change Real or Just Chatter
This brings you back to the old mantra, a real tough guy doesn’t have to tell you he’s tough. But in Miami’s case, speaking it into existence might be the only option. A team based out of the biggest party city in the country will never be short of distractions, and head coach Mike McDaniel is doing his best to keep the main thing the main thing.
“The football program has to focus on football,” McDaniel said. “For that to happen, there’s a lot of things that can’t dominate people’s time, which is like first and foremost, being on time, being accountable to each other, and to the rules… Feeling very open as a team that, ‘Hey, it’s OK to call someone out when they deserve to be called out’… .And for those people to [know], it’s okay to be called out as long as you change your [expletive] behavior.”
Star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got into the mix discussing what has to change for the Dolphins to return back to NFL glory.
“I’ve been here for five years going on six. Are you not tired of what we’ve done these past five years?” Tagovailoa said. “What do we have to change? What do we have to do to correct the navigation, [going] where we want to go?”
“You create that standard in the locker room. The guys follow and you’ve got to uphold it.””
What Went Wrong in 2024
Miami’s fall from grace last season was shocking. After back to back playoff appearances, the team finished 8-9. Of course much of this can be accounted to their quarterback’s health concerns. But regardless, that kind of outcome is unacceptable in the NFL. The Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly provides his insight on last season’s short comings.
“Last year the celebrations were sparse. The team was clearly divided,” Kelly writes. “The commitment at times wavered. A player [Tyreek Hill] quit on the team at the end of the season. The bottom line is the buy-in wasn’t made, and it showed. Put Tagovailoa’s early injuries, and the offensive line struggles to the side and that 2024 team felt like a collection of individuals. The 2024 Dolphins were more associates than friends. Co-workers more than teammates, and players and coaches believe it showed on and off the field.”
Former Dolphins OT Refutes Fake Quote Slamming Team’s Culture